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King and Country
King and Country (stylised as King & Country) is a 1964 British war film directed by Joseph Losey, shot in black and white, and starring Dirk Bogarde and Tom Courtenay. The film was adapted for the screen by British screenwriter Evan Jones based on the play Hamp by John Wilsonhttps://www.samuelfrench.co.uk/p/12530/hamp/ and a novel by James Lansdale Hodson. Plot During the First World War, in the British trenches at Passchendaele, an army private, Arthur Hamp (Tom Courtenay) is accused of desertion. He is to be defended at his trial by Captain Hargreaves (Dirk Bogarde). Hamp had been a volunteer at the outbreak of the war and was the sole survivor of his company, but then decided to "go for a walk"; he had contemplated walking to his home in London but after more than 24 hours on the road, he is picked up by the Military Police and sent back to his unit to face court-martial for desertion. Hargreaves is initially impatient with the simple-minded Hamp, but comes to identify with his plight. Following testimony from an unsympathetic doctor (Leo McKern) (whose solution to all ailments is to prescribe laxatives), Hargreaves is unable to persuade the court to consider the possibility that Hamp may have been suffering from shell shock. He is found guilty, but the court's recommendation for mercy is overruled by higher command, who wish to make an example of Hamp to bolster morale in his division. He is shot by firing squad, but as he is not killed outright Hargreaves has to finish him off with a revolver. His family are informed that he has been killed in action. Cast * Dirk Bogarde as Captain Charles Hargreaves * Tom Courtenay as Private Arthur Hamp * Leo McKern as Captain O'Sullivan * Barry Foster as Lieutenant Jack Webb * Peter Copley as Colonel * James Villiers as Captain Midgley * Jeremy Spenser as Private Sparrow * Barry Justice as Lieutenant Prescott * Vivian Matalon as Padre * Keith Buckley as Corporal of the Guard * Derek Partridge as Captain Court Martial * Brian Tipping as Lieutenant Court Martial Production The novel had been filmed for Australian TV in 1962 as The Case of Private Hamp. Reception The film developed a cult following. However in 1973 Losey said that records had the film recording a loss. Awards Tom Courtenay received the award for the Best Actor for his role as Hamp at the 1964 Venice Film Festival, where the film was also nominated for the Golden Lion. The film was nominated for four 1965 BAFTA awards, including Best Film. References External links * See also * British Army during World War I Category:1964 films Category:English-language films Category:1960s drama films Category:1960s war films Category:British films Category:British black-and-white films Category:British drama films Category:British war films Category:Anti-war films about World War I Category:Military courtroom films Category:Films about capital punishment Category:Films about deserters Category:Films based on adaptations Category:British films based on plays Category:Films based on British novels Category:Films directed by Joseph Losey Category:Films set in 1917 Category:War drama films Category:Western Front films (World War I)